Six Nations 2014: Why were Wales so embarrassed by Ireland in Dublin ?

Lock Andrew Coombs was one of the few Welsh players to turn in a good performance against Ireland (Picture: Getty Images)

The build-up may have flattered to deceive in the week prior to the Ireland vs Wales game in Dublin on Saturday, but the Irish did nothing of the sort, as they comprehensively dismantled Wales in a 26-3 victory.

There are a number of words which do justice to Wales’ performance in the second round of the Six Nations, but ‘utterly abject’ are two which sum it up fairly well. Wales may have stuttered to victory in their opening fixture against Italy, but even the most ardent Irish fan didn’t see a defeat of this magnitude coming. What makes this loss even more surprising is that Wales were nearly at full strength, and it begs the question, what caused this implosion?

The breakdown, an area so often of Welsh dominance, was well and truly won by Ireland. The return of Sam Warburton was not enough to give Wales the spark they needed after a lacklustre performance against Italy, and the Irish duo of Peter O’Mahony and Chris Henry rode roughshod over their Welsh counterparts throughout the game. Losing the battle of the breakdown meant that Wales consistently struggled to get the quick ball their backs needed to excel.

Another losing battle for Wales was the one waged at the set piece. Wales were second best to Ireland at the lineout throughout the game, and although they held their own in the scrum at times, both facets of the game resulted in the home side being gifted numerous penalties, and Jonathan Sexton made Wales pay, either by kicking goals or winning Ireland the all-important territory battle. The set piece contributed significantly to Wales’ discipline problems in the game, and the visitors gave up an uncharacteristically high 15 penalties at the Aviva Stadium.

Defensive lethargy, and Ireland’s lack thereof, was the final telling factor in Wales’ first away defeat in the Six Nations since 2011. The Irish defensive line seemed to be by far the quicker of the two teams, and was able to cut off attacking moves early and at source, preventing the ball from getting out to attacking threats like Alex Cuthbert and George North. Ireland’s two tries also both came from driving mauls, which Wales struggled to defend against throughout the game, due to a combination of poor technique and being outmuscled by the Irish pack.

The loss kills any Welsh hopes for a Grand Slam, whilst the heavy defeat will also making retaining the title difficult, but not impossible. Coach Warren Gatland now has two weeks to turn this Welsh team into something approaching the world class side they have the potential to be, before they welcome France to the Millennium Stadium. Tough questions need to be asked, and if Gatland believes these sub-par performances are a result of anything more than fatigue from the players’ summer heroics in Australia, then drastic changes could well be coming.